The forwarded chain: retro chat template
A ready Yahoo Messenger-look chat for the retro chat nostalgia gallery, seven messages and about 20 seconds as a video. Open it, change the words and export it as a labelled, fictional mock-up.
Preview in the Yahoo Messenger look
The full script (7 messages)
The first four messages open on the Free plan; the rest need a paid plan.
The template: The forwarded chain
A 20-second retro chat template: Fay and Gil, seven messages, opening on "dont open that email" and closing on "define safe". You can change any line or name once the sample is open in the editor.
Look at message 3, "it says if you dont forward to 10 people", which runs 9 words, then at message 5, "now what". Nobody asks a question, so it reads as a run of statements.
Using it in the Yahoo Messenger look
Finish with the connection dropping. The silence says what words cannot. You need Standard or above to use Yahoo Messenger; Free accounts will see a prompt to upgrade. Switch on typing dots and an online status when you build the scene; read marks and reactions are not offered for Yahoo Messenger. Keep every character an adult looking back. No children, no real people, no real screen names. Retro and legacy looks draw the screen with a simple window layout, name labels and a typing line, so the words do the work.
What the Free plan shows
The Free plan opens the first four messages and two people, so The forwarded chain would stop at "i forwarded it to 11". The other three, through "define safe", need a paid plan with a higher message limit and up to four people.
Tips
- Hold message 4, "i forwarded it to 11", a beat longer than the rest.
- Start on "dont open that email" and let viewers read it twice before Gil replies.
- Keep the lines short and lowercase in spirit; people typed fast and sent often.
- Change one word of Fay's closing "define safe" so the ending is yours, then caption the video as a fictional chat.
- Rename Fay and Gil to keep the story original, and keep every character an invented adult.
Questions
Can I use The forwarded chain on the Free plan?
The Yahoo Messenger look needs the Standard plan or above, so a Free account cannot open it. The Plans page lists exactly what each plan includes.
How long is The forwarded chain as a video?
About 20 seconds at a comfortable reading pace, counting seven messages with a short beat between them. Add a second or two for the ending card.
Is this retro chat chat a real conversation?
No. It is an invented chat between Fay and Gil, made as a mock-up. ChatsRat is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any messaging app, and look names describe a style only. Label what you publish as fiction.
Can I change the names and lines?
Yes. Open the template in the editor, replace any line or name and export your own version. Keep the characters invented, and keep the content free of real people and anything sexual.
This is fiction. The people in this template are invented. ChatsRat makes mock-ups and fictional conversations for creators, designers and teachers. Do not use it to pass off a made-up conversation as a real one, to impersonate a real person, or as proof of anything. See the Acceptable Use policy.
About the watermark. Exports on the Free plan carry a visible ChatsRat watermark, and every export carries an invisible mark that the verify page can read. Plans list what changes on paid plans.
ChatsRat is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any messaging app. App names on this page describe a style only.